Things you didn't know about... East Lothian

East Lothian's musical anagram

Rearrange the letters which make up East Lothian, and you get the anagram "Listen to A-Ha". However, there is no evidence to suggest that this hidden message has had any influence on the music preferences of local residents.

The sun always shines on... East Lothian

Met Office figures show that Dunbar, in East Lothian, has more hours of sunshine per year than anywhere else in Scotland, and less rain too! No wonder the town is known as "sunny Dunny" by locals.

East Lothian provided the inspiration for the Scottish flag

The famous Scottish flag of the white diagonal cross on a blue background, known as the Scottish saltire, is said to have come about following a battle in Athelstaneford, a village in East Lothian.

In AD832 the Scots were preparing to fight the English when the Scots King Oengus II had a vision of Saint Andrew promising victory. Legend has it that next morning the Scots noticed the clouds had formed a white cross in the sky. They won the battle and adopted Saint Andrew as their patron saint, and his cross as their flag.

The long and winding road nears its end here

The UK's longest road, the A1, runs through East Lothian, the last place before Edinburgh on the route from London.

Sawney Bean was born in East Lothian

The story of Sawney Bean is thought to be largely fabricated, but has become popular and is now part of Scottish heritage. In the legend, Sawney Bean was leader of a clan in 16th-century Scotland, who lived as fugitives in a cave for 25 years, robbing, murdering and cannibalising people, before finally being caught and executed.

East Lothian borders on the excessive

The impressive gardens of Dirleton Castle, in East Lothian, include the world's longest herbaceous border.

East Lothian likes to jaw

In the town of North Berwick there's been a whale's jawbone at the top of Berwick Law, a conical hill, since 1709.